Nettie's Notes

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Tuesday, October 23, 2018

A few good men.
This common phrase is a paradox. A farce. A falsehood. A misleading term.

This world has more than a few good men. There are many
good men! In fact, I know many, many good
men. And I am thankful for them. Yes, the men.

In my experience, it is men who have stepped up to the plate when things are rough, men who are willing to take the lead in
difficult situations, and men who
willingly sacrifice their own well-being for others. Thank you, gentlemen.

I’m confused and concerned about a common rhetoric in our
society that men are all bad. Or fathers are all absent. Or husbands are all
unfaithful. Or bosses are all abusive. Whether I am behind or ahead of the
times, let me repeat, I applaud men.

One example of a good man is my great dad. He worked hard, made little
money, and provided all that he could for our family. Despite the fact that I
had ten siblings, he spent time one on one with us, discussing our dreams,
providing fatherly advice, and giving ample encouragement and comfort when
needed. He still does all of those things for me now, even though I’m a grown-up.
My Dad is a good man.

Another great example is my husband. He is a better parent
than me. He is the one who keeps his cool when everything is falling apart, who
willingly cleans the skinned knees and applies the band-aids, who mows the last
patch of lawn when everyone else is grumpy, who picks up the final toys in the
living room, and who always takes the garbage out. It’s even my husband who
waits up until the last teenager has returned at the midnight hour. Thank
goodness!

Friday, September 28, 2018

Motherhood matters. The longer I live, the more I comprehend this truth: Motherhood Matters.

With all due respect, I'm convinced that raising
children is the most significant, the most difficult, and the most fulfilling
task in life. It is influence. It is power. It is life.

Motherhood matters in many ways, but one of the most
poignant is the influence mothers have on the world. Forever and ever.

Take last week, for example. Day one, we sent our daughter
off to college. After 18 years of living at home, she was ready to stretch her
wings. We dropped her off at her dorm room—decorated pink and grey, her new
backpack hanging from her closet hook, her new laundry detergent and books and
school shoes ready for her new life. It was a tender and thrilling moment. I
couldn’t help but recall the day I had arrived at the same university, excited
and nervous, hugging my family goodbye, looking ahead to a grand adventure. It seemed like just yesterday.

My daughter’s anticipation was so thrilling that I almost
wished it was me again, setting my sails for the new world. But then it became
clear: I was living life through her. Her experiences would become my
experiences. Her success was my success. Her happiness produced my joy. I could
go to college again and again and again and have all of the excitement and
fulfillment because of and through my children. Motherhood expanded me and who I was. It was an eye opening
revelation.

Monday, June 4, 2018

Every mother knows that the month of May is CRAZY! As the school
year comes to an end we are flooded with final soccer games, final dance recitals, final
tumbling rehearsals, final band concerts, final choral exhibits, final art
displays, end of year parties, final exams, final Prom, cheerleading tryouts and… the list goes on. May is busy
if you have ONE child, but multiply that by TWO, or THREE, or TEN and every day
becomes absolutely insane! The dictionary definition of "mayhem" is CHAOS!

I know May is a wild trip for every family—and it’s certainly not a
contest to prove that we’re busier than our next door neighbor—but
nevertheless, I’m still recording the events of this month for my posterity’s
sake...or they surely wouldn’t believe it!

Let’s begin with the simple math facts: We have 9 children
at home right now. Each child is involved in at least ONE extra-curricular
activity. (But let’s face it, that usually balloons to two or three or more,
right?) PLUS add on school activities, tests, and parties. Those don’t usually
count in the daily schedule. But when they involve a parent going in to observe
or participating, then everyday school events start gumming up the calendar as
well.

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

On May 8, 2018, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the decision to discontinue LDS Scouting programs in 2020. Like every other Scouting news release during the past decade, this change was immediately met by both glee and sorrow. Naysayers jumped on the social media bandwagon—cheering that the BSA elephant is "finally off our backs," while those invested in Scouting shed tears at the end of an era—a life-changing century for millions of youth and leaders.

My husband has served as the LDS-BSA Relationships Director for the past five years, and this change directly affects our family in both a professional and a personal way. We have been deeply touched by the many friends who immediately reached out to us, anticipating the emotional trauma we were experiencing at the announcement.

Ironically, I listened to a conference talk on "ministering" earlier in the day. The evening announcement provided a unique opportunity to experience and observe friends who took the time to show us love during a heart-breaking situation, as well as those who simply touted comments on social media, oblivious to the pain many of us were feeling. Ministering is an invitation to live a higher law, and this was a perfect opportunity to serve. A heartfelt "thank you" to those angels who came to our aid.

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Last month I traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio to spend the
weekend with my sisters. One of our excursions took us to the world-renown
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. My talented sister-in-law, Dr. Sanita Hunsaker, is a child psychologist there.

I wouldn’t initially anticipate that a hospital was a sacred
place, but our experience at Cincinnati Children's was absolutely holy. Entering the campus, we
saw a beautiful old structure, dating back to 1931. It was in this original
research building that Dr. Albert Sabin developed the oral polio vaccine. As
the wife of a Rotarian, I understand the urgency and importance of eradicating
polio from the world.

On the steps of that antique edifice hundreds of mothers gathered
on April 24, 1964—the first “Sabin Sunday”—to have their children vaccinated
against polio. A statue in honor of Dr. Sabin stands in the courtyard today.

Friday, April 6, 2018

When I was
fourteen years old, my family spent a week at Philmont Scout Ranch in New
Mexico. While my parents and siblings stayed in camp attending classes, doing
crafts and other activities, my older sister and I opted to take a week-long backpacking
trek through Philmont’s wilderness backcountry.

It sounded like a
fun adventure:hike a few miles every
day, cook outdoor meals, watch campfire programs at night, and do some rock-climbing
and rappelling—nothing we couldn’t handle.In fact, we were exhilarated about a week in the mountains.

We said a cheerful
“goodbye” to the rest of our family and boarded the bus that would take us to
our drop-off point.My heart pounded
with anticipation.The bus rolled to a
stop and we jumped out, grabbed our gear and looked up—at a huge hill.The first mile of our trek seemed to stretch straight
up from where we stood!Biting our
tongues, we set out. It was hard!Our forty-pound
packs weighed us down and the sun beat on our backs. When we reached the crest of the first hill,
another one loomed before us.This was
one, big mountain!After what seemed
like ages, we begged our ranger to let us take a break.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

I am a CEO. I manage the personal schedules, finances, needs and lives of twelve people. (Well, almost twelve. My husband manages his own--most of the time.)

For me, like any other CEO, it’s all about the numbers.

Yesterday I did 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, read 26 verses of scripture, made breakfast for ten people, packed six lunches, sent eight people out the door, washed one batch of dishes, did three loads of laundry, read a story to two preschoolers, and freshened up five bathrooms--all before 10am! Those sound like pretty good stats to me.

I then drove to the store and spent exactly 50% of my monthly grocery budget on 45 meals. I saved $12 buying non-brand products, and $10 of next month’s grocery money buying butter on sale. (Did I mark that in the notebook?) I also set aside cash for two weeks of piano lessons and tumbling fees (due tomorrow).